Omega-3 fatty acids are natural products that lower plasma cholesterol, vascular reactivity, and blood pressure while simultaneously increasing bleeding time and ex vivo platelet activation. Currently, there are no widely accepted mechanisms for these effects. Omega-3 fatty acids are available without a prescription and unlike proprietary drugs, omega-3 fatty acids do not have a corporate champion that would promote them for their medical value. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in cold water fish, which are widely available component of some diets. If they are truly beneficial in the ways that have been described, these hypotheses must be presented and critiqued in an open forum of experts whose testimony can be summarized in proceedings of the conference. This conference will convene experts on the role of omega-3 fatty acids in lipid metabolism, hemostasis, and hypertension. Within each of these topical areas subspecialists in nutrition, clinical investigation, animal models, and molecular cell biology will be asked to present papers that answer questions about the safety and efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids and the mechanisms by with they elicit their physiological effect. The primary scientific objective is to provide a forum where experts and students from many disciplines can increase their knowledge base to the extent that their approaches to their specific area of interest integrates the most current ideas that are the driving forces for research into the many effects of omega-3 fatty acids. One may eventually be able to identify a general mechanism that underlies some or all of the physiological effects of omega-3 fatty acids. Finally there is a public health issue. It may be possible that this conference could begin to develop guidelines on the safety and efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids; on the basis of this meeting, the first steps in consensus building could be taken.